YOUR CART

A DAY IN THE LIFE

This month has been filled with new experiences, and heading to a craft beer tour is definitely a new one for me. Scott won a tour for 10 at the Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. when we attended the Albino Rhino Beer Festival back in May. So we grabbed some friends and headed down to Dundas, Ontario.

We had a relatively easy time finding the place, and because we went down on a Saturday in the late afternoon, we didn't have to pay for parking! There is a small lot beside the building but there was some free parking around the area so if you choose to, you can park elsewhere. The building itself is quite unique and has a lengthy history.

Front door of Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. in Dundas, ON

Shawn & Ed Brewery display of the historical background of this building; which is a Heritage Site.

Shawn & Ed wall decor featuring the bus stop signs used when the building was home to the Highway King Bus Line.

​When you first enter the building there is a long passage towards the SHED Bar, on the left side there was a fun display show casing the building in its many lives. It is a recognized heritage building and they've made every effort they could to keep the building in it's original state. This is where we began our tour with Ted, after receiving our first tasting of their light beer.

After Ted shared the historical background we walked down the passage where it opens up into the main part of the building. You pass their bar (which also serves gourmet pizza) on the right and to the left you see all of their equipment.
The equipment itself has quite the story, as it was brought in from Italy and we had the whole process explained to us. I learned a lot about the brewing process, when certain ingredients are added, various temperatures being added and used for different purposes. Even as someone who doesn't care much for beer (I've been trying!!...I'm sloooooowly making progress) I can appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into creating it. It was super interesting to hear how everything works and their plans for the future.

After we finished the tour, Ted told us to get comfortable at the long benches while the brought us our tasting paddles. We each got our own paddle that featured 4 of their beers; two LagerSHEDs: Original and Darker, as well as the Barrel SHED No. 1 and their seasonal Cherry. The Cherry was a fan favourite, especially for my friend Boston & I who much prefer ciders to beers. I was surprised that it was my favourite, as cherry isn't a flavour I am typically drawn towards. I also enjoyed one of the darker brews, but I can't quite remember if it was the Darker or the No. 1 - but I think it was the BarrelSHED. We were also served a second paddle of three beers to the group which included a wheat beer, an Irish stout IPA, along with another brew that if memory serves was either seasonal or a concoction they were playing around with. I wasn't as keen on those so I left them for the boys to drink!

So if you're like Scott and enjoy trying different craft beers, or you're on your own little "Brewery Tour" I would definitely say check out these guys! Scott and the boys have a list of Ontario craft brewers that they'd like to visit, so I'll definitely tag along and see if anyone has my perfect beer!
Let me know if you're a craft beer person (or beer person in general) and if you'd ever consider doing a brewery tour. If you have done an Ontario Brewery (or even winery) that you enjoyed, let me know in the comments below. I think it's so fun to try new things & learn about how they are made.